High temperature applications demand materials that are resilient and preferably long lasting in a multitude of environmental extremes such as under high chloride conditions and loads. Failure of materials in these regimes can be due to inadequate strength or fatigue resistance and also can be a result of corrosion of the materials by oxidation or other reactive decomposition mechanisms.
In advanced energy, power, and transportation systems, material failure can have dire economic. Similarly, in areas such as wellbore drilling and completion, materials for tools and devices should be robust and capable of withstanding harsh downhole conditions, including mechanical stresses from subterranean operations. Corrosion and wear of these tools can lead to their destruction or malfunction. For example, drill bits can become prematurely worn or experience binding with formation material such as rock or sand particles. Removal of the tool and introduction of a new tool to complete or perform a job is time consuming and costly. Moreover, in directional drilling, efforts are made to control the direction of the drill path in order to reach the correct predefined location in a subterranean formation, but tools such as drill bits that labor excessively or bind can produce deviations from the planned direction. Further, downhole conditions can cause premature aging and destruction of downhole tools, rendering them inefficient or ineffectual.
Materials and methods for producing high strength, oxidation resistant materials are always well received in the art.